How celebrating Canada’s top entrepreneurs can inspire new innovators

If asked to name a famous Canadian hockey player, the names Wayne Gretzky or Sidney Crosby may come up. If asked to name a well-known Canadian entrepreneur, it may take a bit longer to think of someone. But why is that?

A survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of the DMZ found that 40 per cent of Canadians can’t name one Canadian entrepreneur and that 55 percent of Canadians say they don’t have the confidence to start their own business. This is alarming if we’re planning to build and increase the number of global powerhouse businesses that are made-in-Canada, global in reach, immensely successful, all with Canadian minds behind them.

North America has some of the most exciting and innovative companies anyone’s ever seen. They have access to the necessary ingredients: they’re well financed, run by intelligent, diverse people and are tapped into the trends on where technology and innovation is heading. With all the pros surrounding starting your own company in Canada, why aren’t more entrepreneurs taking the leap? Fear of failure. Lack of resources. No experience. A weak network. It all boils down to the confidence that they have to take risks and trust that if their passion and idea holds true, they’ll have the support needed to scale and grow.

But change won’t happen overnight. Players in our innovation ecosystem are an active part of the solution. Founders, incubators, thought leaders, influencers — we all have a part to play in advancing our entrepreneurial environment, making support systems more accessible, and celebrating our success stories, big and small.

Read my full take on the Huffington Post article here